Part Four

The Councils of the two societies changed very gradually, most members staying until they died. Mr Stovold was Secretary of the Lyndhurst Society for 30 years. Lord Lucas sadly was killed in the Great War. Times were hard in the 1930's, so the subscription went down to 2/6. A report in a London paper of poor ponies in the Forest was hotly disputed in the Verderers Court. Mr Alway representing both pony Society's and the Commoners Defence said: "Any deterioration in the ponies condition was due to lack of drainage. There were only half the number of ponies depastured as in 1890 and 300 Pounds spent on Holmsley Bog would recover 600 acres of pasture. The argument over open Forest drainage, particularly in the region of Holmsley bog continues where the situation has deteriorated still further.

A Stallion in hand scheme started in 1935 when the winner at the Stallion Show, Orchard Pershore (chestnut) ran in Old Park Ground, Brockenhurst with 25 approved mares, premiums were given to his foals at the following years show, but: not paid till they came to the show as yearlings. This scheme was a World War II victim, but was revived in 1947 when Newtown Spark ran in Vereley. It continued for several years until it became impossible to find anywhere to run the horse. It was also considered that there were enough private studs by then that mares could visit.

Rhinefield Polo Club, which trying to make Polo available to a wider, less rich membership, had a rule that no pony could be played that had cost more than E85, offered a new market for Forest ponies. They took kindly to the game and an article in Country Life aroused considerable interest. Sir Berkeley Pigott, the new Hon Sec. played Shobley Hazel for years, taking her up to Roehampton with a bridle tied together with string and no tail bandage. She scrubbed her tail raw in the trailer and a hasty plaiting job had to be done to disguise the rub.

The Pony Club also provided a good market for children's ponies, so Mr Burry suggested a Class for Children's ponies of value not to exceed 25 Pounds. The winner could be claimed at that price and was; it attracted a large entry.

In 1937 there were only three people who were not members of both societies. Many Council members and officials were common to both, so it was agreed to amalgamate them and in 1938 The New Forest Breeding and Cattle Society came into being with Sir Berkeley as Hon Sec and Sir George Meyrick as Chairman.

The new Society was offered 16 acres of Stocks Farm, Burley as a permanent showground site for stallion in hand and Winter keep, however, Sir George said he had received many letters both for and against, he felt the ground could be rather wet, and that it was unwise to lock up all the Society's capital. This was carried em. con. With the next breath, the Council pointed out that Stallions kept by Avon Valley farmers were no longer available and commoners would need more help with winter keep. The following year no field could be found for the stallion in hand.

The NPS Show was held in the Grand Hall, Islington in March, A train came up from the West Country picking up ponies along the way. They were led through London by a mounted policeman, The Society agreed to pay half the cost of travel, 16/11d per pony, 10 went. They were judged with the Exmoors and three ponies from Burley were 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Miss Jackson's Brookside Judy ridden by Olga Golby, Miss S Richards' Jason Weller and Miss Claytons' Pretty Polly, a rather leggy bay mare notable for large round ears like Mickey Mouse but a good ride.

The previous year 16 had been entered in the class for Forest, Dartmoor and Exmoor. Miss A McGrath won with Minstead Gay Girl; Judy was 4th. The Royal Show was held at Windsor and put on a ridden NF and Exmoor class, which Brookside Judy won from Miss Jackson's other entry, Tommy Tucker. Show ponies did not have it so easy in those days. Judy was ridden from Burley to Romsey Show and back to add to her winnings.

Several Foresters distinguished themselves in a 100 mile ride organised by Country Life. Of course the year ended with War, the blackout led to a threefold rise in road accidents on the Forest. Three members offered keep for a few ponies to keep them safe and many were taken off. Large areas of Forest were commandeered and the number of ponies turned out went down to about 900, with a great increase of scrub invading the lawns, one indication of deterioration. The part complained of by Mr Alway, carried 40 head of milking cows, plus a number of ponies through the war. In 1990 there were never more than 20 ponies and hardly any cattle. Miss Jackson's book has the sad note, "No shows, Judy turned to the Forest." She bred several foals. The ponies contributed to the War effort by supplying blood that could no longer be imported from Holland and was needed to produce Tetanus vaccine. 349 mares were rounded up for this purpose in August, the owners were paid 15/- each. 3 cwts of papers and old stud books were sent for salvage and considered to have provided enough pulp for a single sheet Annual Report, the Stallion Show and Breed shows were held. Bettesthorne Caesar and Minstead Rex took the honours at the former, an open Hack class attracted no less than 45 entries at the latter, attended by every sort of cart and hundreds of bicycles, but not a single car. A new Utility class for ponies, ridden, driven and led from a bicycle was very popular. Sir Berkeley kept things going during the war being Secretary of the Pony Society, Commoners Defence, Rhinefield Polo Club and District Commissioner of the Pony Club. He kept each organisation’s papers in a different room and migrated round between them. He kept his London going bowler hat in a chicken coop in his car and after the war was largely responsible for rescuing the NPS from a very bad patch after the Secretary disappeared with the books.

The Non-hand Fed Class started again in 1945 and has been held ever since. A stallion class judged partly on progeny seen, has been added. The Point to Point revived on Christmas Eve 1946, a change of date that met with some disapproval, and was not tried again. The race from the Railway East of Matley Wood to Boltons Bench was only 21/2 miles. Miss Mangin's Bob won the open, NF., R Ing's Myrtle, the SC, and P Mansbridge on Brown Jack, the Children's. The first post war show drew a record entry and a record gate. H Peckhams Dolly 21st won both the SC and open Brood mares, all 12.0hh of her! Miss 0 Burry's Dolly Gray 9th by Brookside Firelight ex Dolly. A grey race pony bought from the Thorney Hill Gypsies, won the ridden class.

Dolly Gray won many ridden and brood mare classes. Twice she won the Forest class at Salisbury, whilst her sire won the Cob class at the same Show. He, alas, was gelded as a four year old because he measured over 14.0hh which was still the height limit. However, as a 3 year old he had sired not only Dolly Grey but also Newtown Spark, twice champion stallion and Brookside David, probably the most prolific of the stallions that are the foundation of today's ponies. He had a wall eye, excellent quarters and hind legs. Depth and bone but was a bit short and perhaps heavy in front. He stood about 13,2hh. Brookside David spent most of his life on Stanpit Marsh, Christchurch, a marsh similar to those between Lymington and Lepe, to which the ponies on the Forest have always had access and where they do well. On Mr Burry's retirement, the Marsh, which is a nature reserve, was taken over by Mr and Mrs Stainer, whose Silverlea ponies are running there to date. It is necessary always to have a pony who has run before on the marsh to show the others which water is fresh and which salt.

Denny Danny, grey, and Goodenough, brown, neither of whom exceeded 13.0hh both were champions, both showed a Welsh influence and both imparted quality and good movement to their stork. Both ran the Forest before standing at Private Stud. Both were also Society stallion in hand for one season. Denny Danny, although short on recorded pedigree surely traced to one of the Dyoll Starlight imports. Goodenough's dam was a very pretty, Welshy mare with a very long mane. She was white and was known as the Ghost as she flitted through the trees. She was very wild and lived most of her life in Oakley Enclosure. Hiss Jackson thought she was out of a mare by Field Marshall. When so old it was thought she would not stand another winter on the Forest, the three of us, finding her out of the Enclosure by Whitemoor Pond set out to colt hunt her. She ran Turfcroft, Vereley, Cranesmoor where she picked her way across from the Firing Range where the passage had long since sunk into the bog. We nearly got her in the green lane by Long Pond but she was too quick and slipped across the Thorney Hill Road by Burbush to Shappen, up by Burley School, behind the chapel to Woods Corner and up the side of Oakley to Mouses Cupboard where we gave her best but we caught her next day, she was decidedly stiff! Whether this was the same old grey mare Mr Sparks sold to Mr Crabb, who registered her as Meadend Meadowsweet and was Burton Starlight's grandmother is not certain, but it is possible. Goodenough's show career came to an untimely end when he lost an eye. Knightwood Spitfire, dun, 13.2hh by Brookside Spitfire ex The Weirs Topsy, also ran the Forest before standing at Stud. He did particularly well under saddle ridden by Agister Johnny Bradford and imparted size, bone and substance to his stock. Brookside Spitfire was a grandson of Field Marshall and inherited his chestnut coat, blaze, and stockings. He was a descendent of Welton, a thoroughbred with 8 Galloway,(i.e. pony crosses) in his pedigree. Brookside Spitfire ran among the rhododendrons in Ossemsley and when caught for the first time as a two year old, jumped straight through his box window removing it, frame and all. He was highly strung and when het up would set his neck and take off fast, once clearing 23 feet over the Oakley grid. Ron Ings broke him in by tying him to his Welsh cob.

The Weirs Topsy was a dun by the black Highland stallion Clansman IV, whose dam was dun, and from whom Knightwood Spitfire inherited his hazel eyes. This mare had a white lock at the base of her mane and tail. She was bred by Mr J H Young. The Young's "Brock" ponies are the oldest herd on the Forest, these ponies have been running for over 100 years with the brand GY. The herd started with 9 mares that Miss Warne brought with her when she married Mr Young in 1860. Her family had farmed in the Forest since the end of the eighteenth century. The Young's never bought a mare until very recently, so all their ponies were the descendants of those original mares.

Chestnuts were very popular particularly with the rising export trade. For some years nearly every colt offered for passing as a stallion was chestnut, many were sons of a chunky chestnut, Broomy Slipon, a useful pony who left good stock. However, many red chestnuts are round boned and thick under the neck. Another chestnut and a rather bigger pony, Slipper, was certainly a good race pony, foaled on the Forest. His descendants hardly feature among the Fillies granted premiums on the Forest, but he has provided a disproportionate number of winners and placed ponies in the Point to Point!

In 1947 Shobley Hazel was the only Forest pony ever to play in the County Polo Championships at Roehampton. The Times reported "Rhinefield started with a fast run instituted by Sir Berkeley Pigott on a diminutive New Forest Pony. Harry Kennard & Pigott, whose little pony sustained a severe tackle, made it 3-4".

1947 was the year the Point to Point started at Woodlands Lodge. The Open NF race coming from the west to the finish at Lyndhurst Racecourse was again won by Miss Mangin's Bob. In the Small Commoners & Children, run together, P Mansbridge coming from the North some time before the others, who arrived from the East led by R Andrews on Broomy Nosey Boy, followed by R Stickland on Sandy and R H Bennett on Black beauty. All races were confined to NF ponies until 1952 when at Mrs Cree's suggestion, a race for ponies not exceeding 15.0hh that had fairly hunted with either pack of hounds was included. This became the Colt Hunting or Hunting pony Race in 1962.

Later, when certain ladies complained of the weight that they were expected to carry, they were given their own race. The Veterans Race dates back to 1965, when it was won by A E Burry, who had been 2nd in the very first Point to Point. A charming feature of this race was Mr and Mrs Cree crossing the line hand in hand, the only tie on record.

A Verderers Race has been run twice and, since 1950, the Children’s races and the Veterans only cover 11/2 miles. There are normally 3 children races. 1967 Boxing Day was mild and sunny but there were no races because of an epidemic of Foot and Mouth Disease. They were held over until Easter as they were in 1962 when the problem was frost for the second year running, but the year before the postponement was only one week. One year the races were run over a thin layer of snow and on another occasion it started to snow during the prize giving. Frost delayed the start two or three times and there have been a couple of really wet and windy days, the going is usually very wet and conditions have often been bad enough to have cancelled thoroughbred racing.

In 1949 the Definition of a New Forest Pony was still "One already registered in the Stud Book or known to the Agisters as such, or whose dam was a registered pony who ran the Forest for at least one season as a 3 year old or upward and whose sire was a pony stallion not exceeding 14.2hh whose name appears in the Stud Book, or has been passed by the Verderers or the Council of this Society." The clause that the dam must have run the Forest precluded the breeding of ponies away from the Forest and so was dropped. The Verderers were persuaded only to pass stallions that were registered.

The 1950's saw the fencing of the main roads and the perambulation. Many lane creepers could not live without the sheltered verge grazing, they had forgotten how to browse on gorse and holly, but luckily this was the period of the export boom and many crossed the water to Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and France. A few went to North America and later Australia. The Overseas ponies flourished and spread and soon there were more overseas than in Great Britain, but the vast increase in transport costs and the outbreak of Metritus in thoroughbreds (which caused most countries to require expensive testing for all imported stock), ended the boom and the average price of foals at the sales fell by 7% at a time of considerable inflation.

A Jumping competition between English and Dutch children took place alternatively in Holland and the Forest for several years. Veterinary Certificates of Freedom from hereditary unsoundness became compulsory for stallions in 1970. Blood typing was added six years later, so when the Ministry ended stallion licensing, the Society was in a position to implement its own licensing scheme. In 1968 the stallion show was held in August instead of April. The reasons were: some stallions were kept in and corn fed to look well for the show, but when turned out afterwards they chased the mares that were heavy in foal at that time of year. or had very young foals. This chasing also caused a rise in road accidents. Ponies that looked fine at the show and took top premiums were not always so hardy and melted when turned out and so were not good sires. It was also felt fairer to judge them at the end of the season when they had all run out for at least 31/2 months. This problem had occurred before, in the 1930's. Then different premiums were offered for corn fed and non corn fed stallions and to avoid the corn fed stallions chasing the mares. They were not allowed out until 1st June by which time the herds had been established, many mares covered and the premium stallions were regarded as interlopers on others preserves and so were chased off by those who were not corn fed. Frustrated, they often tried to jump into mares in fields, not popular and quite often his lead to the stallion damaging himself on fencing. So, in time, they reverted to all going out on the Saturday evening of the Show.

1960 saw the introduction of a Ridden Stallion Class and the publication of Vol: 1 of our independent Red Stud Book.

A Supreme Champion Cup to commemorate Mr Burry's famous mare, Dolly Grey, was presented for the first time at the 1957 Breed Show. Unfortunately the races had to be dropped at the Show as less of the Park became available due to lack of drainage maintenance and the number of vehicles grew. For some years, Summer races were held instead, round the Buckhound Field at New Park. It became more difficult to get volunteers to put up rings, loos etc., and to man the several ways into the Park, also there was inadequate water, so the Breed Show moved to the NF Agricultural Society's permanent show ground at New Park, Brockenhurst in 1980.

A performance Pony Competition judged on points so ponies anywhere could compete started in 1973. The first winner appropriately was Mrs Green's Priory Pink Petticoats. The prizes were presented at the Olympia Christmas Show for the first four years. The year Frank of Crabbswood won the winning ponies performed a Forest Pageant, Frank ably representing the Forest Scouts, who took their own mounts to South Africa and won the interservices Jumping Competition on their return in 1901. Other scenes included the death of Rufus; smuggling etc..

The following year the diminutive Puckpits Maid Marion ridden by a very small Richard Pritchard won, and a mini versatility pony competition, including a mini cross country with water hazard was filmed by TVS for its programme 'Out of Town' featuring the winners including Deeracres Franco who distinguished himself by trying to get back into his trailer while still attached to his cart.

The ponies got a considerable boost when Mrs Parsons lent her pair, Garth Remus and Deeracres Sally to the Queen to teach Prince Andrew to drive.

The latest exploit for NF ponies is the formation of the New Forest Pony Enthusiasts Club (1985). They have already put on a most professional Stallion Musical Ride, when 13 stallions spent a week at The Food & Farming exhibition in Hyde Park in May 1989 and followed this in 1990 and 1991 by winning the Riding Clubs Prix Caprilli Championship and also qualifying their Dressage Team for the finals at Malvern.

Long may the versatile New Forest Pony continue to flourish.

I have deliberately not mentioned Private Studs whose owners will speak for themselves. Traditionally Landowning Commoners and small commoners, Who in the old days were usually Tenants of the above, kept and bred ponies both on the Forest and on their holding. They were interchangeable. Children were given fillies, so by the time they grew up they had a little herd and pocket money from the sale of colt foals. Most Studs started with very small ponies – Priory Pippin and Miss Brook's Poppets both won 12.2hh open Brood Mare classes. Oakley Bridget, Bettesthorne Kate, Beacon Bramble, Merrie Minstral and Peveril Petrina were all under 13.0hh.

The Willoway Stud foundation stallion, Peveril Peter Piper is small. Stud bred ponies often grow a hand bigger than their parents but often by getting longer in the cannons and straighter in shoulder and limbs make for taller but not better ponies.

DIONIS MACNAIR © 1992

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

My thanks are due to Mrs. Trigg and Mr. D Stagg for their great help and to Lord Montague of Beaulieu and his Librarian for use of. material from his archives.

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